Danish design studio EFFEKT has planted seeds for 1200 trees at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 which will grow into a mini forest during the six-month exhibition where architects from across the world come to showcase their work. The coolest part is that these live in a grow table that will be remote-controlled from Denmark. This forest surrounds seven of EFFEKT’s projects and forms a fictional landscape of living trees. “Our installation in Venice showcases a series of ideas, concepts, strategies, and designs for living and building, for producing, consuming, and revitalizing the ecosystems we are part of and depend upon,” said EFFEKT on their unique way to leave their footprints behind while reducing their carbon footprint!

The installation is called ‘Ego to Eco’ and it is shaped as a physical representation of a natural ecosystem backed by research and sprinkled with design projects made by EFFEKT over the last few years. The team says projects like these can offer potential solutions to the challenge how we design ecosystems. It investigates new ideas for living and building, for producing, consuming, and revitalizing the ecosystems we are part of and depend upon – a community that stands on the pillars of architecture and natural balance.

The architectural prototypes were selected to spark curiosity in the visitors and promote discussion regarding new, resource-efficient ways of living and building. The seven projects seek to explore how we can design future communities rooted in the principles of nature. By asking the right questions and collaborating across sectors on projects such as these, EFFEKT strives to bridge the gap between cities and natural ecosystems for the mutual benefit of both human and non-human life.

The presented projects include the forest tower, responding to the question: “can architecture help people reconnect with nature? And the nature village, responding to the question: ‘can real estate development enable ecological restoration? Everyone on this planet is all part of the same ecosystem — and by thinking and acting accordingly we believe we can find the answer to urgent questions,” says EFFEKT.

The recirculating irrigation technology pumps water and nutrients to the roots of the plants through an ebb-and-flow grow table, with excess water drained and collected in a tank below. Pressure, humidity, and temperature sensors are connected to a controller box, that enables real-time monitoring and operation of the system, offering optimal growing conditions for the plants. The one-year-old trees of Pinus Sylvestris, Picea Abies, Pinus Sitchensisa, and Larix Eurolepis will grow over the course of six months and will be planted at the end of the exhibition as a part of the firm’s ‘nature village’.

Designer: EFFEKT